Trolley holding and retrieving device.



J. W. WOODWARD. TROLLEY HOLDING AND RETRIEYING DEVIGB.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 13, 1908.

Patented June 22, 1909.

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APPLICATION FILED JUNE 13, 1908.

Patented June 22, 1909.

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TROLLE'Y HQLDING AND RETRIEVING DEVI CE.

Application filed June 13, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN W. WoonwAnn, a citizen of the United States,residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York,have invented new and useful Improvements in Trolley Holding andRetrieving Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a trolley holding and retrieving device ofthat character which normally holds the trolley wheel in contact withthe overhead wire and is adapted, when the wheel accidentally runs offthe wire, to automatically retrieve or lower the trolley pole so thatthe wheel will run below the cross wires of the overhead suspension andthus prevent such wires or trolley pole from being destroyed.

The invention has for one of its objects to improve and simplify theconstruction and operation of apparatus of this character so as to becomparatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture and install,thoroughly reliable and efficient in use, and readily manipulated.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a trolley poleholder and retrieving device having a spring which normally urges thetrolley pole upwardly to maintain the wheel in contact with the overheadconductor, in combination with a releasing device which automaticallydisengages the spring when the trolley jumps off the wire and the poleascends to a certain point when the pole will descend by gravity to apoint below the wire so as to be out of the way of the cross wires ofthe overhead suspension. Another object is the employment of means forrestoring the s ring by the conductor or attendant pul ing downwardly onthe trolley pole so that after the spring is restored, it is merelynecessary for the conductor to guide the trolley pole in its upwardmovement by the tension of the spring so that the wheel will return tothe trolley wire.

lVith these objects in view and others, as will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention comprises the various novel featuresof construction and arrangement of parts which will be more fullydescribed hereinafter and set forth with particularity in the claimsappended hereto.

In the accom anying drawings, which illustrate one em odiment of theinvention, Figure 1 is a side view of the device showing Specificationof Letters Patent.

Patented June 22, 1909.

Serial No. 38,332.

the trolley pole in retrieved position. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sideelevation of the device with its parts in normal position. Fig. 3 is aplan view of Fig. 2, with the erectile spring removed. Fig. 41 is atransverse section on line 44, Fig. 1, drawn on an enlarged scale. Fig.5 is a perspective view of one of the latches for holding the springunder tension or set.

Similar reference characters are employed to designate correspondingparts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, A designates the base plate of the apparatuswhich is mounted on the top of the car B, Fig. 1, in the usual manner,and on the base plate is a frame C which is secured thereto by a bolt 1that serves as a pivot on which the frame can turn. On one end of theframe are two spaced standards 2 which support, at their upper ends, ahorizontal pivot or fulcrum 3 011 which the socket 41 tilts, and in thesocket is the trolley pole 5 that carries at its upper end thecurrent-collecting device or wheel 6, the pole being equipped with theusual rctrieving cord 7 whereby the conductor can manipulate the trolleypole. At the opposite end of the frame are two spaced-standards 8 thathave lateral extensions or arms 9, and in the upper end of thesestandards are horizontal slots 10. The arms 9 support a horizontal pivot11 on which tilts bell crank levers 12 that have their horizontal armsformed into latches 13 for holding the erectile spring 14 normally undertension or set. The spring 14, which is of the helical extension type,has one end 15 fastened to an aperturcd lug 16 on the socket a of thetrolley pole, and the opposite end of the spring is fastened to ahorizontal pin 17 that projects through the slots 10 of the arms 8 sothat the extremities of the pin can be engaged by the latches 13.

The socket i has a depending arm 18 disposed between the standards 2,and pivotally connected therewith at 19 is an actuating rod 20 thatpasses horizontally between the arms 8. This actuating rod hasa terminalsection 21 hingedly connected with the main portion of the rod at 22,and the part 22 has a slot 23 in which is slidably mounted the pin 24carried on the lower ends of the vertical arms of the bell crank levers12. The rod 20 is adapted to be moved longitudinally, and by means ofthe ends of the slot 23 engaging the pin 24, the latches 13 can beengaged or disengaged. The actuating rod 20 is provided at anintermediate point with a longitudinal slot 25 through which extends apin 26 that connects a yoke 27 with the rod, the said yoke beingfastened to the pin 17 to serve as a resetting device for the spring.

In practice, the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 2, when thetrolley wheel is riding on the overhead conductor, and the is spring 14is under suflicient tension to main tain the wheel firmly in contactwith the conductor. If, for any reason, the trolley wire leaves theoverhead conductor, the spring 14 Will contract and tend to furthererect the 15 trolley pole and cause the rod to be pulled to the left,thereby eventually tilting the bell crank levers 12 and release thelatches 13 from the pin 17. As soon as the pin is released, the springloses its tension and the 20 trolley pole will drop by gravity to apoint where the wheel or pole will be below the cross wires that supportthe overhead con ductor, thus averting damage to such wires or thetrolley pole. When this occurs,the

parts will be in the position shown in Fig. 1,

and all that is required to return the trolley wheel to the overheadwire, is for the conductor or attendant to pull downwardly on the rope 7so as to move the actuating rod 20 to the right a sufficient distance tocause the yoke 27 to expand the spring 14 and force the in 17 under thelatches 13, and during the ast part of the movement of the rod 20, the

latches will be forced down behind the ends of the pin 17 by means ofthe inner end of the outer slot 23 engaging the pin 24: of the bellcrank levers 12. As the spring is now under tension, the trolley polewill be raised and the conductor then guides the trolley wheel by meansof the rope 7, so that the wheel will return to the overhead wire.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and of themethod of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the artto which the invention appertains, and while I have described theprinciple of operation of the in vention, together with the apparatuswhich I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to haveit understood that the apparatus shown is merely illustrative, and thatsuch changes may be made when desired as are within the scope of theclaims ap ended hereto.

aving thus described the invention, what I claim is 1. In a device ofthe class described, the combination of a supporting frame, a trolleypole pivoted thereon, a helical extension spring connected with thetrolley pole for holding the same in erect position, a slidablymountedpin attached to the spring, a latch device mounted on the frame and heldby gravity in engagement with the pin, and

means connected with the device and pole for releasing the device as thetrolley pole ascends to a certain point for removing the tension of thespring to permit the trolley pole to lower by gravity. 7 O

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a supportingframe, a trolley pole pivoted thereon, a helical extension springconnected with the trolley pole for holding the same in erect position,a slidablymounted pin attached to the spring, a latch device mounted onthe frame and held by gravity in engagement with the pin, meansconnected with the device and pole for releasing the device as thetrolley pole ascends so to a certain point for removing the tension ofthe spring to permit the trolley pole to lower by gravity, and means forplacing the spring under tension and engaging the pin with the deviceupon the trolley pole reaching a redetermined lowered position.

3. n a device of the class described, the combination of a supportingframe, a trolley pole pivotally mounted thereon, a helical extensionspring connected at one end with the pole for maintaining the latter inraised position, a slidably mounted member connected with the other endof the spring, a locking device engaging the member and held inengagement by gravity, an element between the 9 5 trolley pole anddevice for releasing the latter by an upward movement of the pole, aresetting member connected with the first mentioned member, and a slotand pin connection between the second member and the element.

4. The combination of a pivoted current collecting member, an erectilespring there for connected at one end to the member, a pivotally mountedlatch device normally 105 connected with the opposite end of the springfor normally holding the latter under tension, an operating rodconnected with the member and with the device for releasing the latterautomatically when the member assumes an abnormal position.

5. The combination of a pole, a currentcollecting device thereon, aspring connected with the pole to maintain the latter in normalposition, a device arranged to hold the 115 spring under tension, anactuating rod connected with the pole composed of hingedlyconnectedparts for releasing the said device, a lost motion between the deviceand rod, and means for resetting the spring.

6. The combination of a trolley pole, a frame on which the same ispivoted, an erectile spring connected at one end with the trolley pole,a device pivoted on the frame and arranged to be releasably connectedwith 1 the opposite end of the spring to hold the latter under tension,an 0 erating rod connected with the trolley po e, a slot and pinconnection between the rod and said device,

a re-setting device connected with the spring, 130

and a slot and pin connection between the re setting device andoperating rod.

7. The combination of a base plate, a frame pivoted thereon and having apair of spaced standards at opposite ends, a trolley pole pivotedbetween one pair of standards, a spring connected at one end with thetrolley pole and at the opposite end with the other standards, latchesfor releasably holding the spring under tension, an operating rod connected with the trolley pole, and latches for releasing the latter whenthe trolley pole is moved to a predetermined position.

8. The combination of a supporting frame, a trolley pole mountedthereon, an actuating

